"I'll do it," said Erashi, determined.

"Are you sure Erashi?" asked Hirishima.

"There might be another way, we just don't know it yet," opined Kieri.

"That bastard Pruflas is the one to blame. Tamura doesn't have to die because of him!" mentioned Subaru.

"That look in his eyes, I have never seen anything like it," Xiang mouthed.

"I have made my decision. My trust in him once faltered and that made him suffer a great deal. That's why I will not repeat that same mistake again," Erashi said, solemnly.

"Brother, will you tell me our mother's last words before I depart?" Tamura got up to pick up a usable piece of one of his broken katanas.

"...." Without uttering another word, Erashi accepted the katana from Tamura's hand and began examining it.

"Erashi, are you really sure about this? Kieri, Subaru stop him," Hirishima stressed.

"Look at him. Does it look like he wants this? He has chosen to place absolute faith in his brother's decision."

After taking a long look at Erashi's eyes, Subaru came to a conclusion.

"Indeed, that is his resolve," added Kieri while shedding a single tear.

"Before she left this world, she asked me to protect you no matter what it takes. She placed trust in our brotherhood and the strength we carried together. But it's apparent that I not only failed her but you as well. I wish she was here to hug and soothe us with her sweet voice to wash away all our regret and sorrow like she used to." Erashi picked out the sharpest spot on the broken Katana's blade and proceeded to take a high stance.

"Despite all the burden she was carrying, she always placed that assuring smile on her face. She truly was the strongest." A wave of tears escaped Tamura's eyes as he accepted his fate.

"You were also a kind man to the very end, Tamura. I should've realised sooner that you would never kill a single being by yourself in your life. And that's something mother will be proud of," stated Erashi as he fought his emotions only to keep his tears locked inside.

Tamura suddenly held his head and screamed again in pain.

"Hurry, don't hesitate! Finish me in a single blow!"

"I am so sorry brother, you don't have to forgive me in the afterlife. But if we meet in it, we will find our mother and apologise to her together." Erashi was one step away from executing his brother.

"Both of us really messed up huh?" Tamura fought his pain and smiled.

With those last words, Erashi swung the katana horizontally at Tamura's neck and slit his throat cleanly. A huge amount of blood spewed out from the wound as he fell to the ground, obtaining an instant and painless death.

"What have you done!? You would kill your own brother to defeat a demon!? I have never seen such shitty brotherhood before!" As the body began fading, a deep dark voice echoed through each of the warrior's minds.

"Shut up you bastard! You would never understand!" angered Subaru.

"No you don't understand! Killing me is nothing! Abatu will make sure each one of you will bite the dust!" the voice threatened.

"Abatu?" Puzzled Hirishima.

"Yes! He is none other than your…." The voice silenced as Tamura's body crumbled into ashes and the wind blew them away.

Erashi fell to his knees once again and the tears he tried so hard to hold finally escaped.

"Damn it!" Erashi angrily threw the katana away and punched the ground with all his might.

The three elite warriors walked to him and began consoling him. Kieri tended his remaining wounds while Hirishima and Subaru showed respect to his decision. The remaining warriors all acquired a relieved posture after witnessing Tamura's death.

"This is far from over. We still have to find Hoshi and the king," said Xiang as he stood up.

A brief moment of silence later, another elite demon landed right next to everyone and shook the ground. Its face was still covered by the long fabric with blood seeping through it. The purple aura in its eyes assessed the entire situation in seconds. It was still carrying Hoshi who was lying unconscious on its massive palms.

"What the hell is that?"

"An elite demon!?"

"We are all done for!"

Fear consumed the warriors on sight of this newly arrived demon.

The elite warriors, Xiang and Erashi diverted their attention towards the fresh threat.

"Well shit. And I thought this day couldn't get any worse," cursed Xiang.

"Can't we have a break!?" complained Subaru.

"Another elite core? This time who could be possessed?" Perplexed Kieri.

"Look, He has Hoshi! Commander, your orders?" Hirishima pointed out.

"All remaining warriors! Stand back. It is too much for you to handle!"

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Erashi stood up, ordered the warriors and inspected the demon.

"Look at its face and claws. It was clearly damaged but who was he fighting?"

"He came from the lake. I wonder what happened there?" queried Kieri.

"It doesn't matter, we must act now before it harms Hoshi!" stressed Hirishima.

"Hirishima, Subaru and Kieri, can you handle it?" asked Erashi.

"Of course we can! Place some trust in us!" answered Subaru.

"Let's kill that bastard and end this!" Determined Hirishima.

Both of them fired up and ran towards the demon after picking up new weapons from the ground. Kieri followed them and gave Xiang an order before she caught up, "Xiang! Retrieve the boy once we attack it!"

The three warriors coordinated with each other and planned a precise series of attacks on the demon's arms. Xiang picked up his weapon and followed the three.

"Hmph? What do you three want?" Before they could reach, the demon unleashed a powerful push through its dark aura to drive back the three.

"I don't have time to play with the warriors! I have to get this brat to the marketplace!" The demon said, irritably.

"That voice," astonished Xiang.

"Release the boy! What do you want from him anyways?" Hirishima loudly questioned.

"Wait, I think I know it's real identity," interjected Xiang.

"Huh? How?" Puzzled Subaru.

"Who is it?" asked Kieri.

"Are you Honghui Zaruki? The king of Pandara?" Xiang raised his voice and faced the demon directly.

"Is that you Xiang? How are you even alive?" Honghui inquired.

"I knew it! It's that bastard king himself!" concluded Xiang.

"What? The king also has an elite core?"

"What the hell is going on here?"

"Could he be that 'Abatu' Pruflas mentioned?"

Hirishima, Subaru and Kieri respectively reacted.

"That's no way to address your king. Consider yourself lucky, If I wasn't in a hurry I would've ripped you all to shreds." Honghui turned around and prepared for another jump.

Before he could, Xiang thrusted his sword inside the demon's back and yelled, "We are not done here asshole!"

"We finally reunited after all those years and this is how you will behave son?" Honghui rotated his head and stared right at Xiang.

"Don't you dare call me son! You're not my father! Never were! I mean what kind of father gets his own son killed for keeping his stupid throne!" shot Xiang.

"There are things you don't understand, I had to do it as I was devoid of any other choice," told Honghui.

"Then what about my mother!? You treated her like some filth on the street because you didn't have a choice either!?" fumed Xiang.

"She was just another woman in my bed. It was her fault for lying about her womb being removed. Your birth obstructed the plan so I had to put her in her place," replied Honghui, coldly.

"You have no shame saying all that? Then why keep us for all that time? Why didn't you just kill her and me when I was still an infant!?" questioned Xiang, solemnly.

"I thought you would be a good vessel for this core to be passed on but it was clear that you were too soft like your mother. Abatu requires extreme wrath and pride to be passed on. So when the time of your coronation came I had to instantly get rid of you," disclosed Honghui.

"You got that right, I would rather die a gruesome death than turn into an ugly demon," stated Xiang.

"Look at your face, you already are uglier than a demon. Because of you I had to transform into Abatu's true form as my time was almost out."

"That's why you're an elite demon now?" Well none of that matters. Just tell me one thing, where is my mother?" Xiang queried.

"Oh she might be still alive. After your execution, which unfortunately failed, I sold her to the market. Maybe she is still getting it!" Honghui jeered.

"You think I didn't look all around the market already? She is nowhere to be found."

"Who knows then? Maybe she diverted back to her maiden name. If you care about that whore that much, step down now and I will spare your life so that you can go find her," offered Honghui.

"Shut up! You are going to die here! By my hand!" Xiang angered and forced his sword inside the demon's body.

"You stubborn little shit!" Honghui again released a pushing force through his aura that made Xiang fall back considerably.

A memory triggered in his mind,

Inside the palace, in a large bedroom filled with expensive ornaments and furniture, the king angered towards an injured woman with silver hair.

"You bitch! I told you! You are not getting him!"

"But he is my son! Let me see him at least!" the woman begged at Honghui's feet.

"Get lost! And never come back!" Honghui kicked the woman and she fell on her abdomen.

Xiang, while still a young boy, barged in crying.

"Stop hurting my mother! Why father? Why do you treat her this way?"

"You stay out of this! Guards take him away!" On Honghui's orders, a few guards forcefully pulled Xiang away.

The boy struggled as he had to endure pain from the tight grip of the guards.

"You are hurting my boy! Stop it!" the woman screeched.

"You shut it!" Honghui slapped the woman which encouraged more tears from Xiang's eyes.

Another memory appeared. This time from further in the future. Inside an old storage room without much lighting,

"He beat you again? That bastard!" Xiang, now a teenager, asked his mother who had a few bruises visible under her ripped Kimono.

"Quiet, if he hears he will find out our one secret place of meeting," the woman whispered.

"Don't worry mother. When I become king I will fix everything. I am almost reaching adolescence, it won't be long until your suffering is over. I promise I will save you and our homeland." Xiang determined.

"I have no doubt in my mind that you will." His mother smiled.

"I promised her. I promised her to fix everything! I will kill you! No matter what!" Xiang immediately got up and glowered at Honghui.

He picked up his weapon once again and rushed at the demon in front of him. Once close he swung his sword at it. The demon countered the attack by clashing his claws against the sword. Xiang screamed as he placed all his might at pushing his sword towards the demon's torso.

"You definitely have gotten stronger. But it's not enough," said Honghui before he began applying slight force to overpower Xiang.

"Why? I didn't ask to be born as a prince. All I ever wanted was to have a family that smiled at each other, enjoyed food of whatever class together and most importantly never even dreamt of hurting one another." Xiang disheartened after realising he can't win and his sword pulled back even more.

"It's not too late."

"You're not alone."

"Hmph. Don't just give up."

The three elite warriors assisted Xiang by all slashing their weapons at the demon's back to give him a chance to push its claws back enough for a stab at its torso.

"Impossible. To think mere warriors will pressurize me. How about I reward you all by showing a hint of my full power?" Honghui concentrated his entire aura throughout his body and unleashed the most explosive shock wave yet.

This attack pushed the four attackers so swiftly that they destroyed nearby trees upon colliding with them. This time, they had a hard time getting back on their feet. Redeeming this opportunity, the demon clenched Hoshi and made another leap away from the forest towards the marketplace.

"Looks like we underestimated him," conversed Hirishima.

"Yeah. He is the strongest demon we have faced to this date," mentioned Subaru.

"Come on, get up you worthless body!" Xiang struggled to get up.

"What should we do now? Erashi?" queried Kieri as she landed near to the commander.

"I have one thing on my mind," answered Erashi as he helped her up.

"Don't tell me." Kieri suspected something desperate in the tone of Erashi's voice.

End of chapter twenty-three.